Sketches of nature : a geneticist's look at the biological world during a golden era of molecular ecology / John C. Avise ; acquisition editor Kristi A. S. Gomez ; designer Matthew Limbert.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This visually appealing book recounts the history of molecular ecology and evolution as seen through the personal lens of one of its most prolific practitioners, who has studied a panorama of creatures ranging from corals, sponges, and other invertebrates to a wide variety of vertebrate animals including numerous birds, mammals, herps, and fishes. The sketches are of two types: evocative drawings of the animals themselves, and more than 230 written abstracts summarizing the author's eclectic research on ecological-genetic topics spanning the microevolutionary to macroevolutionary. With the abstracts arranged by organismal group and placed in chronological order, the chapters in this book lead readers on a fascinating historical journey into the realm of molecular genetics as applied across the past four decades to intriguing questions in ecology, evolution, animal behavior, and natural history.- Encapsulates salient genetic findings on a diverse array of creatures in nature- Recounts the history of technological and conceptual developments in ecological genetics- Includes approximately 80 beautiful line drawings of the animals themselves- Provides context by preceding each abstract with an anecdote or historical backdrop- Concludes each abstract with an addendum that further contextualizes the research findings- Written by a world-leading authority in molecular ecology and evolution